they all hold fast by one another, he brings out a long string of the birds. In this odd fashion he becomes a skilful fowler. stances, the island forms a very lofty mountain. bers in the deep holes and clefts of the highest 3. The shore reef resembles a barrier reef in having rocks, a small trained dog is sent in, which seizes land within or near it; but the dry land is very near, the first bird by one of the wings. This, to preand the intervening water very shallow; while in vent its being carried away, takes hold with its most instances there are no islands or islets, the strong beak on to the one next to it, and it, in its whole reef being submerged at high-water. In all turn, seizes on a third, and so on. The dog conthe three kinds-atoll, barrier, and shore-the reef tinues to pull out the one he first caught, and, as has been formed by countless myriads of coral insects, working at the construction of their hollow dwellings. Mr. Darwin, by tracing a local connection between volcanoes and reefs, arrived at a con- The gannet has a dark line which passes over its clusion that, whenever an atoll or a barrier reef brow, which gives it the appearance of wearing has been formed, the bed of the ocean has sub-spectacles. It makes its nest of grass and weeds, sided; while at the spots where shore reefs occur, which it picks up on the shore or afloat. Birds of the bed of the sea is either uprising or stationary. this class often' steal these materials from one Islands and mountains in the Pacific have been another. A traveler saw a battle between two submerged by the subsidence of the ocean bed; and gannets, arising out of such a theft. "The one when the subsidence had taken place to a certain which had robbed the nest flew to sea with the extent, coral insects set to work at their busy spoil, and slyly returned by another way as though labors; for, whether in the Pacific or the Mediter- he had brought the grass from a distance; but the ranean, the insect always works in the water, but owner had seen the robbery, and waited the return at no great depth below the surface. All three of the thief, which he flew on with the utmost fury. kinds are satisfactorily accounted for on this view, The battle was fought over our heads, and proved fatal to the thief, who fell dead at our feet." as being in three stages of development. The shore reefs are formed first as a fringe of coral around the coast of an island; by further subsidence, each becomes in time a barrier reef; and each of the latter develops into an atoll reef, by the insects constantly building at the top of it. The Pacific coral is doubtless as beautiful as that of the Mediterranean; but being more remote from inhabited countries, it has not so much chance of being worked. A VISIT TO THE SEA-BIRDS. It is no small adventure to visit the birds on the lofty headlands and rocky islands of the English coast. One way of getting at them is by a strong rope, stretching from point to point. Along this, a man in a basket of rope makes his way, until he reaches the crags and overhanging rocks. At his approach, flocks of razor-bills, puffins, gannets, stormy petrels, and other marine birds, take to wing and flutter around. Besides the pillaging of their eggs, many of them are caught; and, to supply the wants of fashion, their wings, either in their natural color or dyed in brilliant tints, are, in due course, seen on the hats of little girls and boys. In some places, sea-birds form vast colonies; and down the sides of a rock there is not a spot, on which there is room for a bird to rest, but is dotted with a winged tenant. Should a gun be heard, or a boat draw near, or the fowler approach along the rope or be let down from the top, in one moment ten thousand are on the wing, screaming and whirling around in wild dismay. The puffin is often called the sea-parrot, from the peculiar form of the beak, which has great strength, and will make a severe wound. In Norway, it is caught by means of the way in which, when once it seizes an object, it will not easily let go its hold, As puffins sit together in great num May Ditty. Cuckoo enekoo! for love and mirth My heart is gay; I have no wish, no wish on earth, The swallows on my roof awake In chorus ful!, as though they'd break Cuckoo cuckoo! I hear it sing And all the hills are echoing Sweet dreams from off my eyelids go, I hear the rosebuds talking low I hear the lambs upon the lea, I hear the panting of the brook, O' the lily that the water shook Rise, little head, all golden-ringed, Wake, little spirit, angel-winged, Wee baby in thy tiny bed I'll deck thee all in snowy state With crimson roses from the gate The birds shall pipe and tell our sport And we will hold a merry court Children's Department. THE ELEPHANT. ber and forced himself backwards among the brushwood so as to leave a passage, of which he expected us to avail ourselves. My horse still hesitated; the elephant observed it, and impatiently thrust himself still deeper into the jungle, repeating his cry of urmph! but in a voice evidently meant to encourage us to come on. Still the horse trembled, and being anxious to observe the instinct of the two sagacious creatures, I forbore any interference. Again the elephant wedged himself farther in amongst the trees, and waited impatiently for us to pass him; and after the horse had done so tremblingly and timidly, I saw the wise creature stoop and take up his heavy burden, trim and balance it on his tusks, and resume his route, hoarsely snorting as before." N contrast to the Beaver, whose wonderful instinct we have seen exerted only for the advantage of himself and the community of which he forms a member, let us look at that of the Elephant. The contrast is well worth marking, for the Beaver can not be made of any use to man Now almost any trained animal, if left alone to in a state of domestication-his instinct can only decide for himself, in such a case, would have put be shown in a state of nature, whereas that of the down his load, if he could, and walked away. But how like a faithful and industrious man this Elephant is capable of a degree of cultivation surpassed by no other animal man has trained to assist elephant acted! As there was no room to pass, Le him, in work requiring physical powers far beyond made way, waited for the horse, encouraged him to come on, and then, when he had passed, took up his load again and went on his way. his own. There are two kinds of elephant-the Asiatic and the African. We shall select the Asiatic, because he is more easily tamed, and because in that state he shows most intelligence. In this respect, dogs are like elephants; and indeed it is said that out of all the animal world these are the only two creatures that will work in the absence of a master. You know how a dog will carry home a basket or a bundle, and go trotting along without anybody to watch him. It is just so with the elephant. When he has been trained to do a certain work, he will keep at it by himself, and will seem to take as much interest in it, and do it as intelligently, as any man would do. For instance, when elephants are taught to pile logs in a timber-yard in the East Indies, they will go on piling, without any command from their masters, and they are taught, when the pile grows high, to lean two logs against it, and roll the remaining logs to the top. But the most wonderful manner in which the Asiatic elephants show their intelligence and fidelity is the way the tame animals help to ensnare the wild ones. But for their skill and ingenuity very few elephants would be captured alive. This is the way they do it. When a herd of elephants is to be caught in Ceylon, the people build an enclosure called a corral. It is made of small trees stuck in the ground, and secured by cross-beams. It is an enclosure, perhaps five hundred feet long by half that width, and has only a small opening at one end. At the opening there is a gate, and from each angle of the end by which the elephants are to approach two lines of the same strong fencing are continued on each side and cautiously concealed amongst the trees. Then men go beating through the woods for many miles, driving the elepharts We can not do better than quote the following toward this enclosure, which is easily done, for story told by Sir James Emerson Tennent which they are very shy and gentle so long as they are shows this independence of action in the elephant. not excited. Sometimes it takes more than a "One evening, when riding in the vicinity of month to bring together forty or fifty elephants in this way, Kandy, my horse showed some excitement at a and sometimes two hundred have been noise which approached us in the thick jungle caught. and which consisted of the ejaculation urmph! At last, when the hunters have them all within urmph! in a hoarse and dissatisfied tone. A turn the projecting fences, they choose a favorable night in the forest explained the mystery, by bringing and suddenly light a great many fires and torches, me face to face with a tame elephant, unaccompa- discharge guns, and beat drums and tom-toms, to try nied by any attendant. He was laboring painfully and drive the elephants into the corral. Someto carry a heavy beam of timber, which he bal- times the whole herd will break through the fences anced across his tusks; but the pathway being and get away; but commonly they are driven by narrow, he was forced to bend his head to one side degrees into the corral. to permit it to pass endways, and the exertion and inconvenience combined, led him to utter the dissatisfied sounds. The moment they get inside, the gate is shut, and the hunters immediately surround the corral with torches, which they push through the fence at the "On seeing us halt, the elephant raised his head, elephants if they approach, so that the great creareconnoitered a moment, then flung down the tim-tures are frightened, and gradually collect in the middle of the enclosure, forming a circle with their placed himself between her and the herd, to preyoung in the centre. vent any interference. Then it is that the wonderful skill and intelIn order to secure him to a tree, he had to be ligence of the trained elephants are called into use. drawn backwards some twenty or thirty yards, We give an account of this scene, drawn from a making furious resistance, bellowing in terror, description by a traveler, who watched the whole plunging on all sides and crushing the smaller of one of these hunts from a platform built in a timber, which bent like reeds beneath his clumsy tree overlooking the enclosure. struggles. Siribeddi drew him steadily after her, After the herd was all in, the bars which secured and wound the rope round the proper tree, holding the entrance to the corral were cautiously with- it all the time at its full tension, and stepping drawn, and two trained elephants passed stealthily cautiously across it, when in order to give it a in, each ridden by his mahout or driver-and one second turn, it was necessary to pass between the attendant, and carrying a strong collar formed by tree and the elephant. coils of rope, made of cocoa-nut fibre, from which hung on either side cords of elk's hide, prepared with a ready noose. With them, and concealed behind them, the head man of the "noosers' crept in, eager to secure the honor of taking the first elephant. One of the two decoy elephants was of prodigious shoulder to shoulder and head to head, and forced age, having been in the service of the Dutch and English governments in succession for upwards of a century. The other, called by her keeper "Siribeddi," was about fifty years old, and distinguished for her gentleness and docility. She was a most accomplished decoy, and showed the utmost relish for the sport. With a coil round the stem however, it was beyond her strength to haul the prisoner close up, which was nevertheless necessary in order to make him perfectly fast; but the second tame one, perceiving the difficulty, returned from the herd, confronted the struggling prisoner, pushed him him backwards, while at every step Siribeddi hauled in the slackened rope till she brought him fairly up to the foot of the tree, where he was made fast. A second noose was then passed over the other hind leg, and secu.ed like the first, both legs being afterwards "hobbled" together by ropes. The second elephant singled out from the herd was secured in the same manner as the first. It Having entered the corral noiselessly, she moved was a female. When the noose was placed upon along with a sly composure and an assumed air of her fore foot, she seized it with her trunk, and suceasy indifference, sauntering leisurely in the direc- ceeded in carrying it to her mouth, where she would tion of the captives and halting now and then to speedily have severed it, had not a tame elephant pluck a bunch of grass or a few leaves as she interfered, and placing his foot on the rope, pressed passed. As she approached the herd, they put it downwards out of her jaws. It is strange that themselves in motion to receive her, and the leader in these encounters the wild elephants made no having advanced in front and passed his trunk attempt to attack or dislodge the mahouts who rode gently over her head, turned and passed slowly on the tame ones. back to his dejected companions. Siribeddi followed with the same listless step, and drew herself up close behind him, thus affording the nooser an opportunity to stoop under her and slip the noose over the hind foot of the wild one. The latter instantly perceived his danger, shook off the rope, and turned to attack the man. He would have suffered for his temerity, had not Siribeddi protected him by raising her trunk and driving the assailant into the midst of the herd, when the man being slightly wounded, was helped out of the corral, and his son took his place. The conduct of the tame elephants during all these proceedings was truly wonderful. They seemed to understand every movement, both the object to be attained and the means of accomplishing it. They showed the utmost enjoyment in what was going on. Their caution was as remarkable as their sagacity; there was no hurrying, no confusion, they never ran foul of the ropes, were never in the way of those noosed, and amid the most violent struggles, when the tame ones had frequently to step across the captives, they in no instance trampled on them, or occasioned the slightest accident or annoyance. The herd again collected in a circle, with their heads towards the centre. The largest male was So far from that, they saw for themselves a diffisingled out, and two tame ones pushed boldly in, culty or a danger, and tried at once to remove it. one on either side of him, till the three stood nearly In tying up one of the larger elephants he contrived, abreast. He made no resistance, but betrayed his before he could be hauled close up to the tree, to uneasiness by shifting restlessly from foot to foot. walk once or twice round it carrying the rope with The young man now crept up, and holding the him; the decoy, perceiving the advantage he had rope open with both hands (its other extremity thus gained over the nooser, walked up of her own being made fast to Siribeddi's collar), and watching accord, and pushed him backwards with her head the instant when the wild elephant lifted his hind till she made him unwind himself again, when the foot, he succeeded in passing the noose over its leg, rope was immediately hauled tight and made fast, drew it close, and fled to the rear. and the animal secured. The two tame elephants instantly fell back. Siribeddi stretched the rope to its full length, and while she dragged out the captive, her companion More than once, when a wild one was extending his trunk, and would have intercepted the rope about to be placed over his leg, Siribeddi, by a September, THE SAVOYARD BOY AND THE GOOD 66 sudden motion of her own trunk, pushed his aside and prevented him; and on one occasion, when successive efforts had failed to put the noose over the leg of an elephant which was already secured by Once," says a traveler, "I was making a walkone foot, but which wisely put the other to the ing tour, and met a pretty little Savoyard boy. ground as often as it was attempted to pass the His short, stunted figure, his dark complexion, his noose under it, the decoy watched her opportunity, blooming cheeks, his black, sparkling eyes, the and when his foot was again raised, suddenly stick in his hand, and the little box which, fastened pushed in her own leg underneath it, and held it by a string, he carried on his back, did not leave up till the noose was attached and drawn tight. me in doubt for a moment as to the country and calling of the lad. He was a poor little Savoyard, and he went about exhibiting a marmot. Where can you find such an exhibition of skill as this in any other animal? Of course, the elephants have been trained, in some degree, by their drivers; but all accounts agree that the chief skill is shown by the animals themselves. They set their brains at work, in order to outwit the brains of the wild elephants. They observe what is needed, and act promptly for themselves, without orders. Think of that great creature, with his heavy foot, pushing the rope quickly from the trunk of the other elephant, for fear he should break it in two. Horses and dogs can be trained to do very difficult things, but they do nothing which requires such quickness and foresight as this. "When he saw me, he at once hastened his steps, and began to sing out, "Here is Hannchen, a living marmot; would you like to see my marmot? It is prettier than anything in the world, and climbs up my stick like a cat. Will you not look at it, good sir; it will amuse you very much?" "I had little desire for this amusement, but the poor boy looked so happy as he took his marmot out of the box, he regarded it with such tenderness, with such pride, that I did not like to disappoint him. He placed it on the ground, and covered it with his hands to warm it. The poor little animal was so sleepy it was with great difficulty it could Sometimes a tame elephant is employed to go into be made to amuse me. Little Jacob was troubled the forest alone, bearing only the driver on her at this; he stroked the little beast, scratched it, back, to coax and soothe a single wild elephant in scolded it, cheered it up, all by turns. Now my this same way, while his legs are being tied. It little Hannchen-I call it so, dear sir, because it does not seem quite pleasant to think of all this reminds me of my little sister, who also bore that skill as being shown to deprive a wild creature of name,-now, my little Hannchen, stand up, then, its freedom, but elephants appear so comfortable and show the good gentleman what you can do. and happy when tamed, and are tamed so easily, Ah! you should see it when it has dined well. that we do not feel their captivity as we do that of The poor little thing has had nothing to eat to-day, birds put into cages. because I too have had nothing myself. But that does not give me much trouble; we are sure to get something, and I think too that you, dear sir, will help me.' When elephants are once tamed, they are very affectionate. There was a very obstinate one in Ceylon, which would obey nobody but his keeper, and when the keeper died nobody could manage "Certainly I will, my little friend; but, first him. At last they thought of a child twelve years of all, I will help you to put your Hannchen in his old, of whom the elephant had once been very cage again; he is not inclined to dance to-day, let fond. So they sent for the child from a distant him sleep, and go and buy some bread for you village, and the elephant at once became gentle, and submitted by degrees to be governed by a new keeper. And they remember injuries as well as kindness, Almost everybody has heard the story of the tailor who once pricked the elephant's trunk with his needle, and had a shower of dirty water in return. There are a great many such stories, and sometimes a year has passed between the injury and the revenge. This trait which would not be pleasing in men, shows observation and memory at least in these animals, when the injuries are remembered. The elephant and the whale have the largest brains of all animals, and this has been thought the reason why the elephant, at least, is so very intelligent. both; and I gave little Jacob a few coppers. He looked at them for some time in his hand, then he began to jump with joy round his stick. เ "Ah, what happiness!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands; my father was right when he told me, The good God will help you. I knew very well that I should meet Him. ' 666 Is your father still living?' "I trust, indeed, that he is not dead; nor my mother, nor my grandmother, nor Aunt Jacobine, nor Uncle Peter, nor Antoine, nor George, nor Andre, nor brother Petre, nor Louisa, nor Hannchen. They were all well when I left them; but, alas! it is two years ago now since I began to wander about the world.' 666 666 And how old are you, my child? ' At the plum season I shall be twelve years We know also how much we are indebted to the old. I can not reckon very well, but I was quite intelligence and docility of the elephant for the little when, two years ago, my father said to me success of our Abyssinian Expedition-Asiatic and one day, 'Listen, Jacob, you are now big and strong, foreigner as he was, upon the native soil of his and must earn your bread yourself, I can give you African congener.-Boy's Journal. no more. Here is one piece more, and that is the 666 666 And then you set out?' THREE YEARS IN THE FORESTS OF A STORY OF LIFE AND ADVENTURE. last. But here is a beautiful marmot for you, "Poor little Jacob! He was so pleased and con. which I caught up in the mountains. This will tented, so comforted in all his sorrows in believing get you your bread; go and show it for money. that in every compassionate man who was kind to Be wise and steady, my child, and the good God him he met the good God. And there was much will help you.' truth too in his belief, for it is God alone who gives men kind hearts and liberal hands, and makes I was obliged to indeed, for no one at home them tender and sympathising to the needy and had any more bread for me. My mother and grand- distressed."-Chatterbox. mother cried very much, and so did I too, but my marmot comforted me a little. With a large piece of bread we went off together, and were not so very unhappy. But after I had made a long day's journey, it began to snow very fast. The snow covered every thing around, and I could no longer see the way. And what would it have helped me if I had seen it, for I could no longer go forward, for my wooden shoes remained sticking in the The suddenness and terrible nature of the snow? What was to be done? I sat down, it was catastrophe which had befallen poor Reginald, it not so very cold, and Hannchen seemed contented. will be readily believed, gave both Thurlow and But I had no more bread and was very hungry; myself a tremendous shock. It was some minutes oh, so very hungry! Then I thought that I must before I, at all events, could bring myself to realize die, and that made me very sad. I took Hannchen its truth. It seemed to sweep across my brain out of his house, so that he might try and save like a dream-image of indistinct and shadowy himself, if I died, for these little animals under- horror. stand how to live in the snow, even without food, but I can not. But I hid it under my jacket 30 that it should not be able to run away from me before I was dead.' 666 Poor child! and how did you at last get out of this trouble?' CHAPTER II. The surgeon, whose nerves, naturally, it may be presumed, are as sensitive, impressionable as our own, but had been in a great degree steeled by professional experience to death-incidents, said in a calm though sad voice "Come below, with me, young gentlemen, and "Oh, very easily! I happily remembered what take a glass of wine or two. I shall not be the my father had told me, 'The good God will help worse if I follow my own prescription. The you.' I did not know the good God. I had never catastrophe that has just occurred," said the seen Him yet, but I began to call upon Him with surgeon, after we had implicitly complied with his all my might; and the next moment I perceived advice-and the Havannas-though I almost deHim in a wood near the roadside. As the trees tested myself for so soon yielding to such sensuous stood very close together there, not so much snow influences-were beginning to draw delightfully had fallen as at the spot where I was sitting. The again, "the catastrophe we have just witnessed is good God soon came to me; I saluted Him and no doubt very startling to the imagination, but in told Him everything. He took me by the hand plain, sober truth, there are many gates of death, and helped me to walk, for I was quite stiff. He led me to His house and made me sit down by a large fire on the hearth, and gave me some good soup. Oh, how happy one is with the good God! I cried for joy, and He did too. The next morning it was fine weather again. I thanked the good God for everything He had done for me; He gave me a couple of pence, and then Hannchen and I went on our way again.' 666 And since then have you never suffered from hunger?' 666 Not much. I have a piece of bread, some fresh water, and in the evening a little straw to sleep on; I am very contented and sing the whole day, and then now and then I meet the good God again. Two days ago I saw Him with a white beard, down there in that little cottage; He gave me this jacket, for I was almost naked. And you, -you too are doubtless the good God. Oh! as soon as ever I meet Him I am sure that I shall want for nothing.' I was much touched by the poor boy and his simple story. His only trouble was that I could not see his Hannchen dance. He left me overjoyed, singing as he went. the passage through which is far more terrible. A sharp flash of agony like the lightning which ceases to be ere one can say it lightens," continued the surgeon; and life with all its sorrows, griefs, pains, is past!" "And with all its joys, endearments, its prismatic hopes, its fairy romance, its glowing aspirations," said I. True," said the surgeon, "but prismatic, Iristinted hopes, fairy romance, glowing aspirations, ever fade out with youth; and that's a stuff which can't endure. But I have no inclination to moralize upon the fearful spectacle which just now passed before our eyes, I mean only that, as devouring earth, like the sea, is full of untimely graves, it is wise not to allow our minds to dwell in a morbid sense, upon such saddening mementos of mortality. Especially you," added Mr. Kirwan, "who, if I may take seriously the half-confidence with which you have favored me, are about to brave death in some of his most appalling forms in the South American wilderness, ought to familiarize your minds with the king of terrors, as he is sometimes called. For be quite sure of this, young men, that |